(G15 04/07/08 OR) DAY 18

Mostly everyone went into town today on some errand or another, either buying things they
thought they might need, or gathering information.

I stayed at the shop and practiced on the archery butt. I was expecting a peaceful morning
but we did get an interesting customer come in. Lady Maly Tuskahil , her family is old
Baldur's Gate but they have been here for a few generations. Typical sort of expatriate
family if I'm any judge, they like to lord it over the locals and hang onto their
northern customs.
She seemed a decent enough sort though and we had a chat and I turned on the charm a little.
Her servants were fairly loaded with pies when she left and she mentioned a banquet in five
days or so for a meeting of the Dawn Council (rulers of Tashluta don'tcha-know!).
Well, assuming I'm still alive by then, that might be quiet interesting.

I've also been thinking about the Taxidermist's Guild a little. Shame it burnt to the ground.
Also, now that Namien (obviously an unconscionable rogue) has fled, the position of Taxidermist's
Guildmaster is now open... just a thought, just a thought!

Anyway, the other's came back, and I saw that Raz, the young copy-cat, had purchased a longbow
as well! I don't know if it was the same place, but it was obviously a masterwork like mine.
Rather than practice on the butts I suggested we went for a small wander and see what we could
find too shoot at.

The others, getting wind of this, decided to follow us, so our hunting party consisted of
myself, Raz, Shifty, Nobby and her new best friend Eriss. Mr Badgerington was also in
attendance of course.

So, there is a small road that leads south from the pie shop which leads into the nearby
marshes and we followed that for about three miles. I was keeping an eye open for herbs
and gathered a few things.

There wasn't much worth taking a pot shot at. We saw mainly frogs and serpents, but nothing
that seemed edible. We did meet three travellers on the road, a right bunch of sinister looking
brigands. I think that they may have attempted to rob us, or worse, but the sight of Raz and
his massive axe was enough to make them give us a wide berth.

Later on, we discussed them, I think one had been a half-dragon man, the other a half-orc
and the other a gnoll, possibly a shaman. Deary me!

Anyway, the path lead to the jungle, we were describing a sort of loop around the city,
and we entered the green canopy cautiously, but with great anticipation.

What we met in here really has made my visit to Tashluta so far! A juvenile female green dragon
called 'Dano'!. When we first spied her swimming in her pool, Raz accidently loosed off
an arrow, but luckily it went off into the bushes.

At first she was a bit nonplussed at us intruding into her 'realm' but I think I must
have won her over, because it wasn't log before she was persuaded to answer most of my
questions and even pose for a quick sketch!

(For further notes see Beast Journal Entries #213)

Well, when I was reading over my books later on back at the shop, it turns out green
dragons of her breed are generally quiet nasty creatures, so either I caught her on a good
day or she had her own motives for being agreeable to me. Apparently they are not adverse
to eating humans that they come across, but for whatever reason 'Dano' didn't.

This part of the jungle seemed to be filled with real dangers anyway, and I pity the
farmer that works outside the city walls who has gnolls and dragons as his neighbours!

After about another three of four miles though we broke out of the canopy again and into
an area of grassland, looping as we were, around the city.

Here we at first came across a group of half-elves, who were either nomads or travellers
and we stopped for a while and exchanged news and a few trinkets.

We still hadn't found anything worth shooting at so I asked them if there was anything
worth hunting around her.

They pointed over to a hill about a mile away and said that it was home to a colony
of Ankhegs. I should have really asked what an Ankheg was. I had it in my mind it was
a type of deer, I don't really know where I had got that thought from, as it was
completely wrong!

The hill looked very much like it was once used as fields for growing grapes as the
slopes were still stubbled with old roots. The others were holding back a bit, but I
gambolled up ahead without a care in the world, expecting to startle a deer out from
some bush or whatnot.

So it was a bit of a surprised when a giant insect suddenly burrowed out of the ground
and seized me in its jaws! It was like the rodessa but far bigger and struggle as
I might I could not escape!

I must have passed out from pain and blood loss, as when I awoke I found that the beast
was slain and that my companions had rescued me. Nobby had fully healed me with her
cleric magic but apparently I had been near mortally wounded! Raz recounted to me, gleefully
I may add, the extent of my dreadful injuries, flesh flayed right off the bone and my
ribs all mangled and broken! Oh dear, I shudder just to think of it, and I am glad I
was completely unconscious through out it all.

Nobby's magic healed me right up and I felt as fit as a fiddle, but it did leave a nasty
white scar slashing across my ribs from my left armpit to my belly button. That will be
one to show the grandchildren - again, assuming I live that long!

Yet another injury to add to my collection. I've been stabbed. what, four times? Bitten
how many times? And now crushed nearly to death! What would I do without healing magic?
Crippled forever I have no doubt, or stone dead more like.

My trials were not over for today either! Raz cut off the Ankhegs head, apparently he
wants me to use my taxidermist skills to fashion some sort of enormous terrifying
sporran for him. After that though we decided to head on home as we were not now so
far away from the pie shop and it would be dark soon.

As luck would have it though we spied a group of wild boar and myself and Raz loosed
off arrows at the largest of them. The tusker charged us, covering the ground between
us in the blink of an eye. It gored my leg, but a few more arrows put it down.

Another injury, more healing magic. This one didn't even leave a scar, although those
trousers are completely ruined now and they were my third best pair from Waterdeep.

We dumped the boar with Bullah and she butchered it and we had roast boar for our
dinner. It was very tasty, but it had been an exhausting day getting it. We should really
have been planning our next move against the Lotus Dragons, but we were too
busy talking about the adventures of the day, drinking beer and eating massive pieces
of meat!